Time's Journey
by Salma-sol
Summary: I'm a typical noble girl. I recently left the convent for the palace to serve my new Lady. But things here aren't what they would seem, and times are changing. An aura of unrest lies over Tortall, & my journey of discovery is tiny compared to the nation's
1. Again

Chapter 1 –Again

I sit up. Look around. I see nothing, again.

What did I expect? It was pitch black. What was the point of looking around? I didn't need light to see this place. Tomorrow morning I would get up and see it in the light, again. It would be the same as always. A square room, chamber really, beds line the walls, headboard to footboard; the beds stopping only to let the door squeeze in. Stone walls. Plain white covers on plain brown wooden beds.

Maybe tomorrow I won't get up; I'll just lay here and stare at the plain, grey, stone ceiling. But no, I would get up, again. Put on the plain brown breeches and plain brown tunic, again. Why? The answer is simple. I wanted breakfast. They don't abuse you here, but they expect you to work for everything. You want breakfast? Get up and jog the mile to the lovely breakfast they prepared.

I stare at the bed across from mine. I still can't see it, but I know it's there. I can fell the empty bed staring back at me—silliness of course—but it seems to blame me for the changes in the realm that mean it lies empty, no longer a coveted place at The Finishing School. I look around the room, again.

I don't know why I do this, sit up at night when the world is sleeping. I don't know why I continue to stare around the room; I never see anything. It's pitch black. It always is.

I'm tired. Of course I am. How could I not be? I was woken up near dawn yesterday and the day before, and ever since I got here. Why I continue to sit here on my bed instead of just laying down and letting sleep consume me, I don't know.

So I sit here in the dark, thinking disjointed thoughts, wondering if I could someday soon be one of the lucky few to leave this place and never come back. Wondering of I want to leave. I wish sleep would come and claim me, but I'm too tired to sleep.

My thoughts are muddled. Jumping from one thought to the next without pausing to think if I've finished the previous one. Maybe tomorrow won't be more of the same. Maybe tomorrow someone will come and chose me and I can leave. Out of the fire and into the frying pan. Maybe tomorrow will be more of the same, again. I'll get up again, do as I'm told again, be disappointed again, die again.

I smile. They wouldn't let you die. It's against the rules. Not that I want to. I still hold a vain hope of some twist of fate happening to me and setting me free of the cage I was born into. I smile. For some reason the thought of being born into a cage amuses me. Everyone is born into a cage, each one a different size and shape. Why can't I switch with someone else?

I decide I've had my fill of midnight wonderings. Time to sleep. I hold on to my vain hope that tomorrow will look different form the other side of it, again.

AaAaAaAaAa

A/N: well, what do you think? Did you hate it? Love it? Wish to kill me for clogging the net with more crap than it already has?

Ok, I know it's really disjointed and has no flow. Part of that is me writing this out on paper a quarter of the size of normal paper. The rest of it is how flowing would you be at midnight if you were too tired to sleep?

Ok, it's time for a review, I don't care if it's just "I read your story" I just want to know if someone actually read this, flame me if you want to. Just so long as you read and review. Please?


	2. Changes Abound

I sit up. Look around. I see nothing, again.

What did I expect? It was pitch black. It always is. I sit here most nights, looking around even though I know I can't see anything.

Last night, I hoped and prayed to be one of the lucky few to leave this place and never come back. Well, I don't know about not coming back, but at least I'm leaving. I've been Chosen.

The lady seems to be a decent sort; I only talked to her for a couple of moments. All of today was spent making arrangements, and tomorrow I will go with her to summer court, and then the palace in the winter, as her lady-in-waiting. Thank the gods! So few get the chance to be Chosen, it seems almost too good to be true. It's overwhelming, took my whole day to fetch everything that I will be needing as a lady in waiting. A wardrobe, for one. Face paints, embroidery materials. The list goes on and on.

Tomorrow at dawn we will leave in a carriage, bound for the summer palace. (I'm not entirely clear on what will happen there, or what I will be doing. Some mention was made of another girl joining us there, one who hadn't been Chosen earlier, had completed her training, and wouldn't be staying for the winter. It will work itself out, I'm sure.) I am, of course, fairly nervous about the carriage. Those stuffy, pieced together, death-boxes make me horribly motion sick. I shall have to ask for a bowl, or some such, in case of emergency.

I should go to sleep now, it's awfully late. Much later than usual, I'm sure. I'm so jittery. I'm about to place myself at the mercy of this unknown lady for an entire year, to train me in all things lady like, prepare me for a noble woman's duties, and introduce me to a few suitable grooms. That is like putting my future in her hands. But really, for now it's in the convent's hands, and I don't like that idea any better. I rather like that idea less. So to the summer palace it is…

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The curtains are drawn across the windows, which are covered in glass, but you can still tell that dawn isn't too far off. I am now sitting in the carriage, wishing that, like the Lady across form me, I could back fall asleep to the swaying of the carriage. But I can't. I am much too sick. My stomach is rolling, and I can only thank the gods I remembered not to eat breakfast. The sun isn't even up yet, why must my midsection be so awake?

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"Please wake up, we're stopping for lunch." A soft voice wakes me with a start. How could I have fallen asleep? "Please wake up; we've halted at an inn for midday."

Reluctantly, I open my eyes. Surprisingly, the carriage is still dark; those must be pretty heave curtains at the windows. My Lady (I forgot her name) opens the carriage door and steps out. I step out too, of course, thinking nothing of it, who would? Stepping out of a carriage is a perfectly normal thing to do. But as soon as my foot hit the ground, my eyes began burning. I couldn't bear to keep them open, it was like someone was taking a whole box of pins and puncturing my eyes. I staggered, and grabbed my lady's shoulder to stay upright. Whirling around to face me, she looked stricken when she saw one hand over my eyes to protect them, and one on her shoulder to stay upright.

"Damn! No, I didn't say that, sorry. Back to the carriage." She leads me back to the carriage by the hand, and up the steps, inside. "I had forgotten about that, sorry. They still don't let you outside, do they?" She says this gently, caringly, kindly. "Never mind, I can tell they don't, with you clutching your eyes like that. How long has it been?" She is sincere; I guess this must have happened to her at some point, if she went to the convent.

"Three years. It's been three years." I mumble. The words don't want to leave my mouth. Saying I haven't been seen the sunlight for three years somehow feels like I'm fishing for sympathy, even though she asked.

"Well, I suppose that's not too bad. I was in for two and a half, but I knew someone who was in for five. You'll have to adjust _slowly_, we'll open the curtains a bit, and I'll get a lamp for during the night, you don't want to be in the dark at all until your eyes can handle the light again." I nod. I hadn't realized that this would be a problem. After the first month, it honestly hadn't occurred to me that they kept us inside the whole time. Her voice broke into my thoughts.

"Well then, I'll see if some plates can be sent to us here." And that was the end of that. At the inn where we stopped for the night she arranged for my room to have a lamp brought, and that was all. We left the inn before dawn, took midday in the carriage, and interred the next inn after dusk. Presumably, she did all this on purpose, because really, what sane lady travels at that breakneck pace? Lady Isaleenia is really quiet perceptive.

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We arrived at the summer palace more quietly than I would've expected. Our carriage pulled up, and a footman led us to our rooms. That was it. We were assured that our things would be brought up shortly, and that was all.

We stood in the sitting room, Isaleenia and I, surveying our new surroundings. "I will be wanting to reconnect with my friends, who will already be here. You may inspect the rooms, and please unpack the luggage when it arrives. One Lady Sharla should be arriving shortly, please welcome her and give her my apologies that I couldn't greet her personally. I will return for supper."

I am, of course, startled. We just got here! Wouldn't she want to get settled in first, or some such? "Wait!" I call as Isaleenia is about to sweep out the door, "Where are you going?"

"To greet my friends! Didn't I just say that? We form an embroidery group, and I look forward to seeing them again." Am I imagining things, or does she seem a bit apprehensive? A bit jumpy.

"Won't you be wanting to wait for you embroidery silks to arrive?" I am honestly puzzled, what's going on?

"They will have spares for me. I really must go!" And with that she fairly ran out the door. If I wasn't supposed to serve her, that would be called fleeing. I mentally shrug, she'll do what she's doing, and no reason I should interfere.

I decide to explore my new quarters. There is the entryway/sitting room. Its semi formal (I think, I didn't really pay attention during those lessons). There is a couch, overstuffed, of course, and several chairs, centered around a small table. Off that room there are two others. One has a large bed, a wardrobe, a vanity, a desk, and some empty selves. The other has two slightly smaller beds, two _small_ vanities, a desk with drawers on both sides, instead of the usual one side, and a large wardrobe. Each room has a dressing room/privy off it. It looks pretty obvious that I'll be sharing the smaller room with that Sharla lady she mentioned, so when our luggage comes up, I unpack Lady Isaleenia's things into the room with the large bed, and my new things into the other room, being careful to only use one side of the desk, one side of the wardrobe, ect.

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A knock on the door startles me from my tasks. Upon opening it, I see a very poised Lady standing there, her very posture exuding confidence and assurance. "_Are_ these the rooms of the **L**ady **Isa**leenia?" I didn't know that such a simple question could be asked so very primly, but apparently, it can be.

"Yes?" Who is this person, I'm thinking to myself, to have such a better-than-thou attitude?

"Very well, I suppose you would be the lady _Khaadinya_? Not a very **say-able** name that, but who am I to give offence. I am the **L**ady **Sh**arla, also to be assigned to the **L**ady **Isa**leenia. _Is_ she, by any chance, about?" I shake my head. "_No_? Of course not. _Doubtless_ she other more _pressing_ matters to attend to. Anyhow, has The System here been explained to you properly yet? _No_? Of course not. _Well_ then, I suppose a couple of minutes while I get settled in won't make _that_ much difference then." And with that she sweeps in past me, into the sitting room. "_Which_ room is to be ours?" I point. "Very well, I'll be out _momentarily_." And with that she sweeps into the room and closes the door behind her.

I rather thought it rude to just waltz in, give a rather confusing monologue, and then, without explaining anything previously said, just waltz right through to _our_ room and close the door behind her. Well! Maybe she'll be more…civil, once she's had a bite to eat. It's not too long till super yet. But she does grate on a person!

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**A/N**:

Yay! Anywho, I redid the second chapter to go a lot faster, and scraped the others. They were just boring. But did this go too fast? I wasn't sure. Well, our little friend has come to court and found somebody she dislikes, and will be living with her! How jolly! I must say, it was really fun to write Sharla; she just seemed like one of those people that would talk all in _italics_ with lots of underlining and **bold** and Capitals. Have you ever met people that talk like that? Well, I have, and they do too exist!

Well, you know the drill; please review, even if it is only to flame or babble, so I can try to improve. Thanks!


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